# A baseball game with no crowd. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 28, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749 "2015-04-28T21:39:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/21 "2015-04-29T18:22:46Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The broadcasters just mentioned that the foul balls will be left in the stands, and early fans at the next home game can grab them. Not sure I believe that. That sounds really unsafe and a good way to start a riot inside the ball park. Fans would be sprinting from the moment they passed the turnstiles. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/22 "2015-04-29T18:24:07Z")
Chris Davis just hit a 3-run homer. He should stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/23 "2015-04-29T18:26:04Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > That sounds really unsafe and a good way to start a riot inside the ball park. Fans would be sprinting from the moment they passed the turnstiles. I think they must have been kidding. Vendors or the maintenance crew will surely pick them up. Or it’s part of the master plan to move the rioting inside the stadium. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/24 "2015-04-29T18:29:47Z")
Would have been awesome if they’d filled the stands with bobbleheads. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/25 "2015-04-29T22:30:29Z")
So the game was 2h rs and 3 minutes long. Do this indicate that fans are the reason the avg game is so damn long? > **[White Sox 2-8 Orioles (Apr 29, 2015) Final Score - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/game?gameId=350429101)** > > Game summary of the Chicago White Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles MLB game, final score 2-8, from April 29, 2015 on ESPN. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/26 "2015-04-29T22:32:16Z")
It was also 6-0 after the first inning. Blowout games usually go faster ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/27 "2015-04-29T22:54:07Z")
I watched the first few innings. It seemed to me like everyone was hurrying things along - the batters stepped out of the box to readjust much less frequently, the pitchers got the sign and threw with little pause. I got the feeling the players didn’t really want to be there. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/28 "2015-04-29T22:57:29Z")
It was both sad and amusing to watch Chris Davis toss balls into the stands after the end of an inning as if there were fans there. The Orioles broadcast also showed a player (I forget who) pretending to sign autographs along the first base line. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/29 "2015-04-30T01:14:07Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > It was both sad and amusing to watch Chris Davis toss balls into the stands after the end of an inning as if there were fans there. The Orioles broadcast also showed a player (I forget who) **pretending to sign autographs along the first base line**. Really? That’s bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/30 "2015-04-30T01:15:18Z")
[Chris Davis homers in empty stadium.](http://streamable.com/ngin) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/31 "2015-04-30T01:29:23Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Really? That’s bizarre. The game was televised, and on MLB TV. He was doing it as a joke. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/32 "2015-04-30T01:30:10Z")
Teams practice in empty stadiums unless it’s open to the public. Do the Orioles hold practice at Camden Yards? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/33 "2015-04-30T01:30:52Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > [Chris Davis homers in empty stadium.](http://streamable.com/ngin) This is just…_wrong._ ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/34 "2015-04-30T02:29:58Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > It was both sad and amusing to watch Chris Davis toss balls into the stands after the end of an inning as if there were fans there. The Orioles broadcast also showed a player (I forget who) pretending to sign autographs along the first base line. Catcher Caleb Joseph. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/35 "2015-04-30T02:48:45Z")
MLB, for the last few years, has been concerned about the length of its games as well as the average (rising) age of its fans. Certainly the former impacts the latter. All that said, today’s Orioles/White Sox game was over in two hours and two minutes. Amazing the impact of empty stands. No need for all the commercial promotions. Think revenue. And there are (revenue) advantages to having fans in the stadium for almost 4 hours, not the least of which is beer/concession sales. I guess we’ll see how concerned MLB really is about game length when it comes to what creates revenue for the owners. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/36 "2015-04-30T04:57:57Z")
Millionaires, in the employ of multi-millionaires, playing in a stadium paid for by taxpayers, that the public can’t attend. It would be silly if it weren’t so sad. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/37 "2015-04-30T05:08:20Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Here is some [discussion](http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/orioles-to-host-home-game-against-the-white-sox-in-an-empty-stadium/2015/04/28/b534ea48-ede6-11e4-8abc-d6aa3bad79dd_story.html) as to why Nationals Park was not chosen. \*The Nationals and the Orioles are embroiled in a legal dispute over revenues generated by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the regional sports network that is co-owned by the two teams and carries both their games. A Nationals spokeswoman said Monday that the club was never approached by the Orioles or MLB to serve as a host. Bader declined comment on whether the MASN issue played a role in the Orioles’ decision-making. Shifting games to a venue not expecting to host them can create logistical challenges, such as getting security and staff in place. But the Rays’ willingness to host the Orioles over the weekend, games for which the Orioles will receive whatever revenue is generated, just as they would for a home date, shows it’s possible.\* This makes what happened yesterday even more of an inexcusable farce. The sight of 50 loyal Orioles fans (all who should be given free season tickets) being locked out of a ballpark and cheering their team anyway shows what a divide there is between Major League Baseball and its fans. You want to sell me on logistics of moving the game to Philadelphia and Washington, fine, though, these are half of a billion dollar franchises who juggle 162 games a year, often at the last minute because of rain delays, so Im having hard time believing the game couldn’t be moved to a nearby park with fans being let in for free, something the NFL did (albeit, a further away park) this year with Buffalo. The fact they could not move it to Washington over money makes this even more of a disgrace. Baseball more important than the riots? No. Then just reschedule the damn game. White Sox fly home, no game played. No big deal. Don’t put on this farce, and then give me “Baseball is not as important as what is going on in Baltimore” bullshit. CANCEL THE GAME. A surreal, once in a lifetime spectacle? I thought it was a complete joke, and an embarrassment to baseball and to the city of Baltimore. Without the fans, there is no baseball. MLB proved they don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/38 "2015-04-30T13:18:08Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Millionaires, in the employ of multi-millionaires, playing in a stadium paid for by taxpayers, that the public can’t attend. > > It would be silly if it weren’t so sad. Well put. **russian heel** , ditto. Here’s [CNN.com](http://CNN.com)’s coverage: [http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/baltimore-surreal-scenes/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/baltimore-surreal-scenes/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/39 "2015-04-30T14:08:14Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Millionaires, in the employ of multi-millionaires, playing in a stadium paid for by taxpayers, that the public can’t attend. So it would have been better if millionaires, in the employ of multi-millionaires, would have jeopardized public safety by gathering thousands of people in one place in a riot-torn city, diverting police and security personnel who were desperately needed elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749/40 "2015-04-30T14:25:49Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Millionaires, in the employ of multi-millionaires, playing in a stadium paid for by taxpayers, that the public can’t attend. > > It would be silly if it weren’t so sad. And the alternative was…? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baseball-game-with-no-crowd/718749.md?page=3)